This scoping review will evaluate and synthesise what is known about the impact of structural and social determinants of health on neurodegeneration among adults of African American or Black (AAB) racial identity with a history of traumatic brain injury (TBI). The primary objective is to examine how structural factors, such as healthcare access, influence disparities in neurodegeneration following TBI. Given higher rates of TBI and worse outcomes among Black individuals compared with White individuals, this review seeks to fill the gap in research concerning underrepresentation of AAB populations.

Guided by the Joanna Briggs Institute Evidence framework, this review will systematically search PubMed (MEDLINE), Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL Library (Wiley) for relevant studies. Eligible studies will involve adult human participants diagnosed with neurodegenerative conditions, including dementia and cognitive impairment, and with a history of TBI. Studies must include participants of AAB and non-Hispanic White (NHW) racial identity to facilitate comparisons. The review will focus on identifying potential factors contributing to disparities in neurodegeneration. Data synthesis will include narrative summaries, comparative tables and visualisations to highlight racial disparities in neurodegeneration risk and AAB representation in TBI research. This approach is its structured framework will evaluate the depth of racial inclusion across studies, allowing for a more nuanced understanding of how structural and social determinants shape outcomes.

As this review involves only previously published literature, institutional review board approval will not be required. The findings will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, conference presentations and lay summaries.

Stroke is a leading cause of death and disability in the Caribbean, yet there is limited published information on the availability and utilisation of diagnostic imaging and treatment methods. Inequities in healthcare infrastructure, access to neuroimaging and acute treatment options may contribute to poorer outcomes following stroke, particularly in the low-resource settings that characterise most of the Caribbean region. The objective of this review is to map the literature on access to diagnostic and therapeutic modalities for adult stroke care in the Caribbean to identify potential limitations in acute treatment and examine how restricted access may impact outcomes. The resulting data can help inform strategies for improving access to stroke care in resource-limited communities.

We will apply a three-step strategy based on the Joanna Briggs Institute methodological framework: first, a limited search to identify relevant articles; second, selection of key search terms; third, implementation into a comprehensive search strategy. The query will range from 1 January 1995 to 1 June 2025 (date of final search). Search results will be extracted and screened by two independent reviewers, and findings will be presented in accordance with the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines. We will consider studies focusing on ischaemic and haemorrhagic stroke in the Caribbean, emphasising access to diagnostic imaging, stroke centres, prehospital management and emergent treatment. Studies examining acute stroke management capacity within the region will be considered. Studies will be excluded if they: focus exclusively on primary stroke prevention, postacute care, longitudinal care pathways for stroke victims or paediatric populations; are unrelated to stroke diagnosis or treatment or are conducted outside the Caribbean.

This protocol aims to perform secondary analysis of previously published literature; therefore, ethical approval is not required. The results of this review will be disseminated through academic conferences and peer-reviewed publication.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of mortality and disability worldwide. In the USA, individuals who racially identify as African American or Black experience disproportionately higher rates of TBI and sustain worse prognosis compared with White patients; however, this population continues to be under-represented in contemporary translational research agendas. This protocol aims to comprehensively evaluate and synthesise what is currently known about the molecular epidemiology of TBI outcome among individuals of Black racial identity or African ancestry.

This review will use the established scoping review framework from the Joanna Briggs Institute. The search strategy will be implemented in PubMed (MEDLINE) and expanded to Embase and Cochrane CENTRAL Library (Wiley) databases in the final review. The date range will span from database inception to 20 July 2025 (date of final search). A two-stage screening process will be performed first at the title and abstract level before full-text assessment. Screening will be performed by two independent reviewers and discrepancies will be reconciled by a third reviewer. Articles that meet the following inclusion criteria will be considered: we will include human studies that investigate molecular and biochemical markers associated with TBI outcome. Studies must include individuals who are (A) of Black or African American racial identity, (B) of African ancestry and/or (C) performed in Sub-Saharan African countries. There is no eligibility criteria related to participant age, sex or gender. Eligible studies will be limited to English, Spanish or French. Data extracted from will be analysed and presented as written narrative, summary statistics of study characteristics and graphical or tabular displays.

Ethical approval is not required for this scoping review. The results of this review will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and academic conferences.